I bought a Rem. 700 sps varmint 22-250 about a month ago. I know the stock will need replacing eventually. the current one has alot of flex and the barrel is not free floated. but... i also need glass for it. i need opinions and wether you guys think it would be better to upgrade the stock and get a cheaper scope for now or put the money in better glass now and save for a stock later?

I'd have to say go with quality glass first. (as well as quality mount and rings.) You can always do a little work yourself to the stock to make it a little better until you get the funds to get a good one.

Edited by SVT_Tactical - March/05/2010 at 08:56

"Most folks are about as happy as they make their minds up to be" - Abraham Lincoln

I would say the decision depends on how bad the stock really is. If it is a totally unusable piece of junk and you can't fix the bedding issues sufficient to get the rifle to shoot decently, I would take care of that first. If you can get the bedding worked out so that it shoots reasonably well until you can get a better stock, I would get the scope first.

Ted

Money can't buy happiness... but it's much more comfortable to cry in a Porsche than on a bicycle.

Hello 03mossy,My Remington synthetic stock is a different model, so this might not work for you.

Bed a piece of 3/8" threaded steel rod into the length of the forend. Make sure you have it fitted into the solid tip and a short distance- not all the way through- into the material in front of the recoil lug area... if you cut the rod length just right, it can be seated at each end. Assure mechanical lock between the stock and the epoxy by cutting lots of shallow
grooves with a Dremel into the stock cavity- just cut only where you will fill in around the rod with epoxy so you don't add
weakness instead of strength.You could use square tube aluminum in place of the steel rod. Make sure
everything is clean before you start. Try not to obscure your vents too
much.

Before you put it together, grind down/flatten a small length of the rod threads just above the front sling stud. Drill through the stock and rod after epoxy sets and replace that screw- in stud with a bolt- through stud. That could save an expensive scope in future. Make sure to dam off a small area over the rod to keep epoxy away from where the nut will snug against rod.

Remington uses raised ramps near the forend tip to apply upward pressure to the barrel. That 26" barrel might have better harmonics with the pressure, beats me. If it's already shooting groups, just bed the action and the tip bumps. You've already made it shoot better with the more solid forend. If it isn't shooting to start with, then try a full barrel bed or just bed the action and float the barrel... you can try all kinds of things- not sure if Remington synthetics lend themselves to a free float.Let it all setup a couple of weeks before you shoot it.

You can also add a good soft-type expanding foam to the butt stock and restore balance to the stock and make it quiet and a little stronger. Some of the more aggressive foams can expand too much.

You can do this for maybe $30 and have yourself a lot of fun making a fine, custom, rigid and quiet stock.If it was shooting to start with, why bother. If this doesn't help, then you can go buy yourself a custom and then spend time getting it to work.

Good glass then the stock. You can play with cheap ways to improve the stock after you have the scope. And while you play around, you will either find something that works, or you can save money to buy a new stock.

To be prepared for War is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace.

Get a used stock. People are dumping nice ones all the time on Sniper's Hide. You could get an H-S Precision or such. Saw one recently go for $165 vs. $325 and up for a new one.

As long as either the stock or the scope is sub-par, you won't get the best out of that rifle. If it wasn't a varmint rifle, I'd get a good stock first and a decent scope good out to 300 yards. But if you're looking to get out there a ways both a better stock and a quality scope will be needed.

My advice: get a decent scope and upgrade the stock. That stock will actually harm your shooting skill, it is a poor piece of gear.

A decent used H-S can be had for $200, and a new McMillan for about $400-500 (HTG or A1 or A2.) A stock that fits properly will help your shooting.

There is, in the optics world, this floating line of "good enough", and you can get a scope that is good enough for now - and upgrade later to the dream scope. Upgrading the stock later might introduce bad marksmanship habits to your shooting, and a better scope can't help that.

thanks for all the replies. i would like to be able to do it all at once, but its going to have to be as funds alowe. after all this is a long term project. It makes sense that without a good scope i wont be able to tell what the bedding is doin.

I just bought a SPS Varmint also and I will definitely be upgrading the stock. Thinking about getting a Bel l& Carlson . If I didn't already have a Kahles CL 3x10 50 I would go with good glass first. You really need both so start saving your lunch money!

You cannot post new topics in this forumYou cannot reply to topics in this forumYou cannot delete your posts in this forumYou cannot edit your posts in this forumYou cannot create polls in this forumYou cannot vote in polls in this forum